Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1887-11-04
The Belief Expressed That Nearly All
on Board Went Down
With the Boat.
Six Other Occupants of the Life Raft
Perish From Sixty Hours
of Exposure.
A Terrible Gasoline Explosion at St.
Louis With Loss of Life
and Property.
Other Casualties.

STURGEON BAY, WIS, Nov. L. The
to-day with Alfred Stone, one of the crew
of the ill-fated steamer Vernon on board.
He was picked up last night about eight
miles from Cheboygan on raft on which
with him was dead body. The name of
the dead man has not yet been ascertained.
Stone said he awoke as the boat was sink
ing and jumping Through window, he
found the life raft with six persons on it,
but they all perished but him. Stone says
there were fifty people on the steamer.
Stone had been
IN THE WATER SIXTY HOURS,
exposed to the bitter, piercing wind and
without bite to eat when the Pomeroy
discovered him on the raft las night. Stone
was so cold as to be almost helpless and so
| weak from hunger that he could scarcely
move. Although still very weak, Stone
was able to make brief statement of the
never to be forgotten night. II was
awakened in the middle of the night by
the cries of the passengers and crew
that the vessel was sinking. sprang out
of the window and found myself n the
life raft with six other persons. | cannot
say now who my companions were Part
of them were members of the crew and
part were passengers. 1t seemed Only a
moment before the vessel had gone down
and believe that all but few of those on
board went down with her. | do not
know just how many people were aboard
at the time, but the number could not have
been far from fifty.
WE PASSED THRoTGH AN AWFUL NIGHT.
l almost sthink never saw such a sea.
When daylight came we hoisted signal
of distress, using coat tied to an oar. Two
vessels passed so near us on Saturday that
they must have seen our signal, yet for
some reason they apparently made no eff
fort to reach us. The storm still ragged
and it may be that they had all they could
do to save themselves. One after another
my companions perished in the cold or was
washed off the raft when they became too
numb with cold to hold on any longer We
never saw any others from the sunken
steamer and don't believe that any 9TH
ers survived. The vessel went down so
suddenly that the crew hadn't time to man
the boats" When Stone was picked up
there was corpse OF one man on the raft
with him, the other four having perished
several hours before. Stone says this man
was one of the crew whose name he does
not know.
RECOVERING THE BODIES.
MILWAUKEE, Nov. 2.-Five fishing tugs
went out from Two Rivers, Wis, to-day
and brought back the bodies of seventeen
men and two women who had been aboard
the foundered propeller Vernon, making
fyuo ~ fX1yn hot hou
cred. The engine house at Two Rivers
was turned into mOrgue, where the re-
mains were stretched side by side to enable
Identification by relatives and friends who
flOcked there from ManitowOc. The faces
were all placid and in good condition ex-
cept two whose expressions gave evidence
of intense suffering. All were clothed
fully but two women, who were without
headWear and shoes. but were otherwise
fully attired. Only seven of the bodies
were identified. They are George Thorpe,
Ogdensburg, N. Y, captain of the Vernon:
John Sullivan, Chicago, first mate; Larry
Higgins, Chicago, second mate: Martin
Le6au, Chicago, steward; Henry Lebau,
Chicago, porter; Fred Burk, Chicago,
and E. K. Korland, Milwaukee, passen-
ger. The tugs report having seen a two
masted vessel picking up bodies and it is
expected that further reports will be re-
celved. A bunch OF letters was found on
the body of Captain Thorpe, but they Will
not be opened until the inquest. His watch
stopped at 5:55 and it was undoubtedly at
this hour Saturday morning that the pro-
peller went to the bottom.
FEARS FOR THE AUGUSTUS.
MUsKEGoN, MICH, Nov. 1.-The small
schooner Augustus, Capt. w. H. Reese,
which left here October 5th for Milwaukee,
has not since been heard from and it is be-
lieved that she has gone down with all on
board.
TERRIBLE GASOLINE EXPLOSION.
ST.. LOUIS, Nov. IA terrible gasoline
explosion occurred about 2:3O o'cl ock this
morning in the grocery store of Michael
Newman, No. 7, south Fourteenth street.
The grocery and two adjoining two-story
brick buildings were nearly if not quite
demolished A corrected list of the dead
and wounded is eight dead and three seri-
ously wounded. Six others who lived in
the building and were reported missing
have been found either uninjured or badly
bruised. Five Of the Newman family are
dead. Mamie is horribly mangled and